Control device



Feb. 11, 1936. R. K. WINNING CONTROL- DEVI CE Filed Feb. 17, 1952Cttornegs Patented Feb. 11, 1936 Y I 2,030,672

UNITED STATES PATENToFFIcE CONTROL DEVICE Robert K. Winning, Wauwatosa,Wis., assigner to Clum Manufacturing Company, Milwaukee,A Wis., acorporation of Wisconsin Application February 17, 1932, Serial No.593,675 12 claims. (o1. 'i4-soz) This invention relates to improvementsin con- Bowden wire elements I8 and I9 are engaged totrol devices. Ithas particular application to the gether at their free end by a clamptube 20 which type of push and pull control rod which is comhas portions2| deformed into clamping engagemonly mounted on the dash of a motorvehicle ment with the Bowden wire elements, and also 5 for control ofengine parts or other parts having held by correspondingly deformed.portions 22 5 to do with the functioning of the vehicle. of the tubularcontrol rod 25.

It is the primary object of the invention to The said control rod 25 isreciprocable within provide a novel, inexpensive and simple means thebarrel |2 and projects from the barrel through for locking'a control rodin a predetermined posithebore of plug 5 and the registering aperture oftion or positions subject to immediate release the finishing plate orshell I0. Toits outer end is 10 by manipulation of a push buttonthreaded in fixed a knob 28 whereby the control rod and the the knob ofthe control rod. It is my purpose to Bowden wire elements to which it isconnected provide an organization in which a single release may bereciprocated.

button may be ehnployed forV the actuation of vDetent means are used forxing one or more detent mechanism eiiective .in each of apluralpredetermined positions of the control rod and its- 15 ity ofpositions of the rod. Other objectives oi' associated parts. A radialbore 2l in the disk 8 the invention will appear in the followingdisreceives a compression spring 28 acting on a ball closure thereof. Vdetent 28 in a direction tending to maintain the In the drawing: i ballin either of the apertures 30 or 8|, in the '2o Figure 1 is a view inaxial section, of a device tubular control rod 25. When the ballregisters 20 embodying the invention. with one of these apertures andengages itself Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional detail in thereinunder the compression of spring 28, it the same plane illustrating theparts in different locks the control rod against reciprocation untill'positions from those illustrated in Figure '1. such time that-the ballis forced suiliciently from 25 Figure 3 is a. view in transverse sectionin the the aperture 30 or.'3,| to enable the movement of 25 planeindicated at 3 3 in Figure 1. the control rod to thrust the ballentirely aside. Like parts are identified by the same referenceTo'release'` the ball detent I provide at 35 a characters throughout theseveral views. release pin extending axially within the tubular Asupport typical of the usual instrument panel control rod and normallyheld in a retracted po- 3o is illustrated at 4 and is provided with anapersition by a compression spring 36 acting upon the 30 ture throughwhich extends the threaded plug 5 push button 3l which is attached tothe end upon the reduced extremityof which disk 8 is held of this pin. Atongue 38 pressed inwardly from by upsetting the material of the plug asshown at the control rod serves as a stopto engage shoulder 1. The disk6 constitutes a head for the plug 39 land thereby to limit the outwardmovement which is held in clamping engagement with dash of the releasepin with respect to the rod. This 35 4 by means of nut 8 and aninterposed washer 8. shoulder is formed by one of two peripheral i? I'hedevice is exteriorly finished by means of a grooves 40 encircling rod 35yand having beveled stamped shell I0, apertured in registry with themargins at 4|. These grooves register with opentubular bore through plug5 and having its marings 38 and 3| respectively, and the depth of the 40ginal portions formed about the margin of the groove determines theextent to which the ball 40 head or disk 8. 30 is permitted to enter theapertures in the con- The plug 5 serves as a mounting for a tubular trolrod. barrel I2 upon which the inner end portion I3 When the push button31 is pressed inwardly of the plug is sleeved and compressed to retainby the operator against the compression of the parts in assembly. At theend of barrel I2 spring 36, the beveled surfaces 4| move across 45remote from the plug I provide a tubular anchorapertures 30- and 3| andact as cams to thrust age fitting I5 into which are secured the innerout of holes 30 and 3| a. detent ball engaged and outer plies i6 and ofa flexible sheath with either thereof. `The diameter of the ball throughwhich the composite Bowden Wire eleis suiciently great so that when itis expelled ments I8 and I9 are reciprocable. The inner from theaperture to the degree made possible 50 element I9 preferablyconstitutes a stranded cable by the beveled cam surfaces' 4|, the centerline of upon which a helical sheath is wound to mainthe ball will thenbe suiiiciently above the control tain the strands in predeterminedrelation and to rod so that the control rod itself will complete providea smooth surface radially Vreciprocable the expulsion of the detent andwill pass therewithin the inner ply i6 of the flexible sheath, Thebeneath. Figure 2 shows how the release pin 35 55l lifts the detent ballwhen the operator dev presses button 31. 1

Anlextension of theradial bore 21 across the diameter of the disk Sserves to receive a guide pin which performs a dual function in that itlocks or keys the disk to the plug 5 and has a reduced terminal portion46 engaged inan elongated slot 41 in the control rod to permit thereciprocation of said rod non-rotatably with respect to its mounting.The pin 45 and spring 28 are both maintained in assembly with the disk 6by means of the finishing plate I0.

It will be observed that any number of detent positions may be providedfor this` device by simply multiplying the number of apertures 30, lud3l, and providingl the release pin 35 with a corresponding number ofrelated surfaces 4I'.

I claim: l. In a control rod assembly, the combination with an aperturedmounting and a ball detent positioned in the aperture thereof, of anapervtured hollow control rod reciprocable within said mounting and withthe walls of the aperture of whichsaid balldetent is engageable upon theregistration of said-aperture with that of the mounting, and meanscarried by said control rod for initially moving said ball detent from:its rod engaging position, the wall of said rod being of a thicknesssuitable to move said ball from the aperture after initial movement ofsaid ball by said means upon movement of said rod, but to engage saidball and positively prevent movement of said rod before initial movementof said ball by said means.

2. A control rod 'assembly comprising the combination with an axiallybored mountingI member and a radially movable detent carried thereby, ofa circumferentially apertured tubular control rod movable axiallythrough said mounting, the aperture thereof being registerable with saiddetent for engagement thereby, and a releasing pin reciprocable withinsaid control rod and provided with a cam surface engageable with saiddetent for the partial expulsion thereof from said aperture, the wall ofsaid rod being of va. thickness suitable to move the `ball from theaperture when the ball has been partially expelled `from the apertureand the rod is thereafter moved.

3. A control rod assembly comprising the com.- bination with a mountingand a hollow control rod reciprocable with reference to said mountingand provided with detent'apertures, of a detent mounted in said mountingand receivable in the apertures in said rod in each of a plurality ofpositions of said rod, and a single detent releasing means reciprocablein said rod and effective in each of said rod positions to release theengagement, between said detent and? said apertures, the wall ofsaid rodbeing of a thickness suitable to move the detent f'om an aperture whenthe detent has been partially disengaged from said aperture and the rodis thereafter moved.

4. A control rod assembly comprising the combination with a mounting andan apertured control rod reciprocable with reference to said mounting,detent means carried by said mounting and alternatively engageable in aplurality of predetermined. positions of said con-trol rod with theapertures therein, and a. single detent releasing means carried by saidcontrol rod and mt-vable with respect thereto and provided with detentengaging cam surfaces effective in the course of such movementl to forcesaid detent means from the rod restraining position in each therefromwhen said rod is moved after release as aforesaid.

5. A control rod assembly comprising a mounting plug having a' headprovided with a radial bore, a spring pressed detent reciprocable insaid bore, a tubular control rod reciprocable through said plug andprovided with a detent aperture registerable with said radial bore andadapted to receive said detent, a releasing pin reciprocable within saidrod and carried thereby, and cam means connected with said pin andengageable with said detent to force it from rod 'restraining engagementin said'aperture, the wall of said rod being of a thickness suitable tomove, the detent from the aperture when the detent has been partiallydisengagedv from the aperture and the rod is thereafter moved.

6. A control rod mounting comprising a threadved plug, a disk carriedthereby and provided with a diametrical borethrough said-disk and plug,

a. detent reciprocable in said bore. a compression spring acting on saiddetent, a key in the portion of said bore opposite said detent, and afinishing shell applied to said disk and closing the ends of s aid boreabout said spring and key.

7. A control rod mounting comprising a threaded plug, a disk carriedthereby and provided withv a diametrical bore through said disk andplug,

a detent reciprocable in said bore, a compression spring acting on saiddetent, a key in the portion of said bore opposite said detent, and afinishing shell applied to said disk and closing the ends of said boreabout said spring and key,

" and a control rod reciprocable through said plug of the control rodaperture, said detent being -adapted in one position, to deeply engagein the g control rod aperture to positively prevent movement of saidcontrol rod, and in another position to impositively engage in thecontrol rod aperture to prevent accidental movement of said rod, andindependently adjustable means for controlling the positioning of thedetent in positive and impositive locking relation to said rod.

' ter with the detent receiving socket in certain positions of said rod,a detent in the mounting socket having a surface engageable with thewalls 9. In a control rod structure. thecombination of amounting havinga detent receiving sockettherein, a control rod reciprocable in saidmounting transversely to said detent socket and provided vwith a detentreceiving 'aperture' adapted to register with said socket in oneposition of the rod, a detent in the mounting socket adapted to engagethe walls of the control rod aperture,

said detent, in one position, being adapted for positively engagingthewalls of said aperture to positively lock the same against movementin either direction, and also adapted in another position, foryieldingly engaging the walls of said rod aperture at less depth toimpositively lock the rod against accidental movement, and adjustablemeans for manually controlling the positive and impositive lockingrelations `of the detent to the control rod.

10. A control device comprising in combina-- tion, an escutcheon adaptedto be mounted on a are in normal relative position, means for urgingsaid tumbler into cooperation with said part, means associated with theother of said lparts for releasing said tumbler upon relative movementbetween said parts, a control knob for actuating said control rod, andresilient means adapted normally to retain said parts in normalposition.

l1. A control assemblycomprising an escutcheon tube adapted to besupported on a planular surface, a control knob having an axial chamber,a two part control element mounted in said eslcutcheon and reciprocableas a unit therein, said control element comprising a rod and a tubularmember encompassing said rod, one of said parts being secured to saidknob, the ends of said parts being spaced apart, and means formaintaining said parts in such positional relation comprisaoaovaposition with relation to ing a spring surrounding said rod and disposedwithin said chamber.

12. A control assembly comprising in combination, an escutcheon tubeadapted to be supported on the dash panel of an automotive vehicle, acontrol rod mounted in said escutcheon tube and being reciprocable withrelation thereto, said control rod comprising a shaft having a reducedportion, and a sleeve encompassing said shaft and having an openingtherein overlying said reduced portion, a control knob, means foroperatively connecting said control rod and sleeve to said may bereciprocated as a unit, a tumbler adapted to cooperate with said openingin said sleeve and being adapted to rest therein and upon the reducedportion of said shaft, and means associated with said shaft for ejectingsaid tumbler from the opening in said sleeve, said sleeve and said shaftbeing capable of limited relative longitudinal movement when saidtumbler cooperates with said opening, and resilient means for resistingsaid relative longitudinal movement and for returning said sleeve andshaft to normal each other.

ROBERT K. WINNING.-

knob whereby said sleeve and said shaft

